Watson Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
(Redirected from Beech Alley (Watson Street))
See also Washington Place, which was originally named Watson Street.
Watson Street
Neighborhood Bluff
Origin of name Andrew Watson
➤
Ann Street (until 1910)
Portion East of Chatham Square
Origin of name Ann Greer
➤
Beech Alley (until 1881)
Portion From west of Pride Street to Seneca Street

Watson Street is named for "'Squire" Andrew Watson (1755–1823).[1][2]

Much of the land in what later became the Lower Hill District, including the original lower reaches of Wylie Avenue, was once the farm of Andrew Watson.[3][4][2] The original boundaries of the borough of Pittsburgh, established on April 22, 1794, made a corner at "a post in Andrew Watson's field"; this was the easternmost point of the borough.[5][6][7]

Watson Street itself was laid out by 1852.[8][9] It originally extended only from the Pennsylvania Canal at Shingiss Street to Chestnut Street (now Chatham Square).[9]

George Miltenberger laid out a plan of lots between modern Van Braam Street and Miltenberger Street, which included an alley in the location of modern Watson Street. This plan was not officially recorded until 1884,[10] but it appears in the 1830 map of Jean Barbeau and Lewis Keyon.[11] This alley was named Beech Alley by 1852, by which time it had been extended from west of Pride Street to Seneca Street.[9]

Further west, David Greer laid out a plan of lots, recorded in 1841, on the east side of Magee Street; this plan included Ann Street in the location of modern Watson Street. Parallel streets in the plan were named Margaret, Maria, and Isabella Streets.[12] These were the names of Greer's female family members: his mother was named Ann, his wife was named Margaret, and his daughters were named Anna, Margaret, Ida Maria, and Isabella.[13] So Ann Street was named either for his mother or for his eldest daughter (perhaps both).

In 1881, a Pittsburgh city ordinance renamed many streets to fix duplicates. There was another Beech Alley in Highland Park, so Beech Alley on the Bluff was made part of Ann Street.[14]

In 1910, Ann Street was made part of Watson Street.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ George T. Fleming. "Reisville now forgotten name: Once thriving suburb called after a pioneer has long been incorporated into City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Dec. 19, 1915, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85762040. [view source] fleming-reisville
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Guide to the Hugh Henry Brackenridge and Andrew Watson Papers, 1784–1827 DAR.1937.04." ULS Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh. https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt:US-PPiU-dar193704/viewer. [view source] guide-brackenridge-watson
  3. ↑ Wm. Darby. Plan of Pittsburg and Adjacent Country. R. Patterson and W. Darby, Philadelphia, 1815. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0197, DARMAP0198. Reproduced in John W. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A History of City Planning in the United States, p. 207, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1965 (LCCN 63023414); and in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 24. Also reproduced as "Plan von Pittsburg und Umgebungen" in Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Heinrich Luden, ed.), Reise Sr. Hoheit des Herzogs Bernhard zu Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach durch Nord-Amerika in den Jahren 1825 und 1826, vol. II, following p. 200, Wilhelm Hoffmann, Weimar, 1828 (Internet Archive reisesrhoheitdes00bern, reisesrhoheitdes00inbern). [view source] darby
  4. ↑ George T. Fleming. "Old highway is now great avenue: Historic Fourth Street road plays prominent part in story of early Pittsburgh: Opened years ago." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Jan. 9, 1916, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85762432. [view source] fleming-highway
  5. ↑ Neville B. Craig. The History of Pittsburgh: With a Brief Notice of Its Facilities of Communication, and Other Advantages for Commercial and Manufacturing Purposes, p. 226. John H. Mellor, Pittsburgh, 1851. Google Books cE0OAAAAIAAJ; HathiTrust 001263103; Historic Pittsburgh 00aee7261m, 31735056285699; Internet Archive historyofpittsbu00crai. [view source] craig
  6. ↑ History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Including Its Early Settlement and Progress to the Present Time; a Description of Its Historic and Interesting Localities; Its Cities, Towns and Villages; Religious, Educational, Social and Military History; Mining, Manufacturing and Commercial Interests; Improvements, Resources, Statistics, Etc.: Also Portraits of Some of Its Prominent Men, and Biographies of Many of Its Representative Citizens, part I, pp. 481, I:528. A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889. Google Books DwzYAAAAMAAJ; Internet Archive historyofalleghe1889cush. [view source] history-of-allegheny-county
  7. ↑ A. A. Lambing and J. W. F. White. Allegheny County: Its Early History and Subsequent Development, p. 71. Snowden & Peterson, Pittsburgh, 1888. Google Books 6bY-AAAAYAAJ; HathiTrust 008957728, 100693049; Historic Pittsburgh 00aee8946m; Internet Archive centennialhistor00lamb; LCCN 18008828. [view source] lambing
  8. ↑ E. M. Bigelow. "Pittsburgh Coach Factory." Daily Morning Post (Pittsburgh), Feb. 27, 1852, [p. 2]. Newspapers.com 86644758. [view source] pittsburgh-coach-factory
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 R. E. McGowin. Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny and of the Boroughs of South-Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East-Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Duquesne & Manchester etc. Schuchman & Haunlein, Pittsburgh, 1852. https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32269. [view source] mcgowin-1852
  10. ↑ "Plan of a part of Geo. Miltenberger's first plan 4th St Road: (As much of it as he sold lots by) the balance being of no use whatever." Recorded Dec. 18, 1884, Plan Book 7, p. 53. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779700. [view source] miltenberger-first-plan
  11. ↑ Jean Barbeau and Lewis Keyon. Map of Pittsburgh and Its Environs. N. B. Molineux, Pittsburgh, 1830. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0576; https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/36c3ab00-57aa-0136-8f4f-08990f217bc9. [view source] barbeau
  12. ↑ "David Greer's plan of lots Pitt Twp." Recorded Nov. 18, 1841, Plan Book 1, p. 95. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778193. [view source] david-greer-plan
  13. ↑ "David Greer (1787–1854)." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch, May 25, 2024. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LR13-6NY. [view source] fams-david-greer
  14. ↑ "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1880–1881, no. 33. Passed Feb. 28, 1881; approved Mar. 4, 1881. Ordinance Book 5, p. 212. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1880, pp. 213–234, Herald Printing Company, Pittsburgh, 1881 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880). [view source] ordinance-1880-1881-33
  15. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets, lanes and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1909–1910, no. 715. Passed Mar. 31, 1910; approved Apr. 5, 1910. Ordinance Book 21, p. 342. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the Years 1909–1910, appendix, pp. 312–328, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1910 (Google Books doQzAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223832; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1909). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Apr. 19, 1910, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86611990, 86612022), Apr. 20, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612278, 86612297), and Apr. 21, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612601, 86612625). [view source] ordinance-1909-1910-715
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